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Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on Aeronautics and Space Activities

June 30, 1993

To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to transmit this report on the Nation's achievements in aeronautics and space during fiscal year 1992, as required under section 206 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2476). Not only do aeronautics and space activities involve 14 contributing departments and agencies of the Federal Government as reflected in this report, but the results of their ongoing research and development affect the Nation as a whole.

Fiscal year 1992 was a significant one for U.S. aeronautics and space efforts. It included 7 Space Shuttle missions and 14 Government launches of expendable launch vehicles (ELVs) carrying a variety of payloads ranging from NASA missions to classified payloads. In addition, there were eight launches of ELVs by commercial launch service providers operating under licenses issued by the Department of Transportation's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. On December 7, 1991, the Air Force achieved initial launch capability for the new Atlas II launch vehicle in a commercial launch by General Dynamics with support from the Air Force. The Shuttle missions included one using the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-l) to study the Sun and our atmosphere, as well as the first flight of the newest orbiter, Endeavour, which rendezvoused with, retrieved, and replaced the perigee kick motor of the INTELSAT VI (F-3) satellite that INTELSAT controllers then deployed into its intended orbit.

In aeronautics, efforts have ranged from development of new civil and military aircraft and technologies to research and development of ways to reduce aircraft noise and improve flight safety and security.

One of the major Earth science highlights of the year was the discovery that, like the ozone layer over the Antarctic with its well-documented annual depletion, the ozone layer in the Northern Hemisphere is increasingly vulnerable to depletion by synthetic chemicals. Several Federal agencies have cooperated to study this and other environmental challenges.

Thus, fiscal year 1992 was a successful year for the U.S. aeronautics and space programs. Efforts in both areas have promoted significant advances in the Nation's scientific and technical knowledge that promise to improve the quality of life on Earth by increasing scientific understanding, expanding the economy, and improving the environment.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

The White House,

June 30, 1993.

William J. Clinton, Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on Aeronautics and Space Activities Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/220830

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